Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Nie Qiuyuan estimated correctly; they had indeed arrived first. Standing behind us with a lantern in hand was Han Meilan, dressed in a white shirt and a thick scarlet hooded cloak, her face brimming with excitement.
She rushed over, throwing her arms around my neck, and the lantern in her hand sparked dramatically, nearly singeing my hair.
"You scared me to death! I was so worried! Even though Cousin kept saying everything was fine, you fell off the cliff! Thankfully, you're okay! How can your cousin be so calm? He doesn't care at all and says I'm being too naggy! But thank goodness..."
I endured for a minute before skillfully pushing her away. I felt that if I let her continue, she would start crying again and wipe her nose all over me.
Han Meilan composed herself, glanced at the smiling Nie Qiuyuan beside her, blushed slightly, and murmured, "Brother Nie... it's really great that you two are fine."
Every time such a scene unfolded, it tested my patience, so I decisively exclaimed, "Ah! It's so cold!"
Melan snapped back to reality. "Yeah, Liuying, you must be tired from the journey. Come on, let's head back to our room."
We carried our luggage up the stairs to the second floor. As soon as we stepped onto the wooden floor of the corridor, we heard a warm voice coming from the first room ahead.
"My intuition was right; you must have arrived! Come in and sit down; I've already brewed tea."
Han Meilan pushed open the door to reveal Luo Dachun cheerfully sitting by the table, greeting us while handling various tea utensils.
"It's so late; are you still drinking tea?" I worried about not being able to sleep at night.
"Do you think I'm that unreliable? You don't know; some teas not only don't keep you awake but actually help you sleep. Come on in!" Luo Dachun waved us over and exchanged a knowing glance with Nie Qiuyuan behind me.
The room was warmed by a charcoal stove, instantly lifting my spirits. We unloaded our bags and removed our cotton cloaks that still carried the chill of the air outside, settling comfortably around the table.
Once seated, Luo Dachun handed me a teacup filled with golden-red tea that still emitted wisps of steam, looking quite tempting. I first held the cup in my palms to warm my frozen hands before taking a sip.
"Ah, Pu-erh..."
No wonder some of his teas were calming. If brewed for a short time, Pu-erh tea could have soothing effects; however, if steeped too long until it turned deep red-brown and strong, it became an excellent pick-me-up.
Trusting Luo Dachun's tea-making skills, I drank with ease, hoping this tea would grant me a peaceful night's sleep without nightmares.
“Liuying, you actually know about Pu-erh? This is a rare item only found in the southwestern frontier. It's extremely rare to get it here. I can't believe you could tell just from one sip!” Luo Dachun's expression was filled with surprise.
Pu-erh tea had been quite popular around ten years ago, known for its weight-loss effects. People had jumped on the bandwagon and drank it like crazy, so I was quite familiar with the taste. However, I had forgotten that in the inconvenient transportation of the Tang Dynasty, this item should not be underestimated; one careless mistake could expose me.
Details determine success or failure. I reminded myself to think twice before acting and to never reveal any flaws in these matters.
I laughed it off and managed to divert the topic. Fortunately, Luo Dachun's attention was temporarily elsewhere as he got down to business.
“We arrived two days earlier than you. Upon reaching Chang'an, we sent word to the palace as instructed. However, the emperor is not here; he has gone out to pay respects to his ancestors. So, it seems we will have to wait in Chang'an for a few days.”
At this point, Luo Dachun's expression softened a bit: “Actually, it's not so bad. It gives Melan and Liuying a chance to explore Chang'an. After all, it's the New Year soon.”
“Great! Great!” Han Meilan clapped her hands excitedly. “Liuying, I've already wandered around the city today. It's truly magnificent and so interesting! Tomorrow, I can take you around; there are some fun places you absolutely must see!”
I tried hard to suppress the twitch at the corner of my mouth and nodded with a smile. Really, was it worth getting this excited?
“Liuying, I even saw a notice today!” The woman continued chattering away. “It's a cooking competition! I really want to participate! But the dish they want is something strange called Seven Spice Chili Pepper; I've never heard of it before. Apparently, even the culinary masters of the entire capital have been puzzled by it for years.”
Huh? They’ve been puzzled for years over Seven Spice Chili Pepper?!
Suddenly, a light bulb went off in my head, but recalling my earlier lesson, I didn’t let my inner thoughts show on my face.
Could it be that they still don’t know about Seven Spice Chili Pepper?!
This item might not be common knowledge in my time, but it wasn’t entirely unfamiliar either. Especially for someone like me who had deliberately studied cooking and taken Japanese cuisine classes; Seven Spice Chili Pepper should be considered quite ordinary—something that wouldn’t evoke any special feelings upon hearing it. That’s why I had overlooked it and dismissed it as a low-IQ marketing gimmick.
Listening to Han Meilan talk made me recall that “Seven Spice Chili Pepper” isn’t originally a Chinese term; no wonder they didn’t know about it.
“Seven Spice Chili Pepper” is Japanese; written in kanji as Shichimi Togarashi, which means chili pepper. As the name suggests, Seven Spice Chili Pepper is a type of blended seasoning—a composite chili powder! This item is readily available in supermarkets under the name Shichimi Togarashi. I had learned how to use Shichimi Togarashi in my cooking class.
Thinking about it now, during the early Tang Dynasty, interactions with Japan were still infrequent, so their ignorance was understandable. A surge of excitement filled me—wasn’t this an incredible opportunity? If I participated and won a grand prize of rare gemstones, wouldn’t that be delightful?
But then I thought again: what would I do with gemstones? I never liked such things even in modern times—jewelry or makeup or anything girly held no interest for me. It seemed unnecessary to join this excitement; what if I accidentally revealed myself?
So, once again, I pushed this matter to the back of my mind.
The second day of December, or the Northern New Year. This was the first New Year I had experienced in ancient times, so I felt a bit excited. I looked forward to celebrating each festival seriously, a feeling I had never had in my own world.
It turned out that customs were quite similar!
The New Year was the day when the Kitchen God reported to the Jade Emperor, so we had to offer sacrifices to the City Lord and eat Sugar Melon, which is a very sticky Malt Sugar. The purpose was to make the Kitchen God so sticky that he couldn't speak after eating it, thus preventing him from reporting any bad deeds to the Jade Emperor.
As I diligently gnawed on the Sugar Melon, I thought about how such customs must stem from human insecurity—was it not an acknowledgment that there were unspeakable things happening at home? By sticking the Kitchen God's mouth shut, weren't they ensuring that he couldn't praise them even if he wanted to?
However, matters concerning the Demon God should not be taken lightly. My grandfather once spoke disrespectfully to the Kitchen God during New Year celebrations and ended up having quite a bad time afterward. He had stood before a mural with a plate of Sugar Melon in hand and said, "Kitchen God, don't you dare speak out of turn; I'll stick your mouth shut with this Sugar Melon. If you say anything inappropriate, I'll come back and break your legs." Before long, his legs inexplicably broke out in painful boils that itched terribly and took a long time to heal.
Looking back now, it might have just been an allergic reaction to insect bites, but the timing was indeed too coincidental.
I chewed on the Sugar Melon while slowly following Han Meilan forward. It was getting late, and the streets were brightly lit as if it were daytime. We had come out to shop for food and entertainment. Since we were in a bustling area, there was nothing to worry about; Nie Qiuyuan and Luo Dachun didn't follow us, leaving just the two of us wandering around the stalls.
The ancients also had their leisurely moments; with the New Year approaching, there were many activities in the commercial district. Dragon dances and various performances appeared frequently. Many elegantly dressed Young Masters and Sisters even engaged in masquerade balls, with people wearing masks and veils walking among the crowd, which often left me feeling bemused.
Lost in thought as we walked along, I suddenly looked up. Huh? Where am I? Why is there no one around? And where did Han Meilan go?
Comment 0 Comment Count